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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27917533">Days Turn to Weeks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaywright/pseuds/J'>J (jaywright)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Breastfeeding, Ficlet Collection, Kink Meme, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Trans Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:41:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27917533</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaywright/pseuds/J</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>collection of kinkmeme fills (refer to individual summaries for details)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caduceus Clay/Caleb Widogast, Caduceus Clay/Fjord, Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Caduceus/Fjord, tit worship, rated M, trans Caduceus</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>originally posted 8/11/2020 to criticalkink in response to this prompt: https://criticalkink.dreamwidth.org/3194.html?thread=1466234#cmt1466234</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Oh." Fjord felt the towel around his waist slip from his fingers as his eyes adjusted enough to the dim light for him to make out the long outline stretched out against the far end of the hot tub. He fumbled with the fabric, clutching it in place. "Sorry, I…I didn't realize anyone was still in here."</p><p>"Mmm," Caduceus rumbled in acknowledgement. "Got dark in here when Caleb took his lights with him," he said. "And I didn't bother fixing it. It's kinda nice in the dark."</p><p>"It is, yeah," Fjord agreed. "Do you mind if I…?" he waved the hand not holding up his towel at the tub.</p><p>Caduceus held out a wide hand in offering, and Fjord waited a moment for him to avert his eyes, but Caduceus just watched him mildly as he let the towel fall and slipped into the water. He let out a breath of relief as he felt the warm water sinking into his skin, and saw a faint smile curl Caduceus's lips in the low light.</p><p>"I find this helps me sleep, when I can't," he said mildly.</p><p>Fjord peered at him. "I never thought of you as someone who would have trouble sleeping. Do you have…" he hesitated, somehow feeling like even saying the word was too much of an admission of vulnerability, but this was Caduceus, who had shared a room with him countless times, who had been there with soft gentle words and hands to lull him back to sleep more times than Fjord cared to count. "Dreams?" he finally finished.</p><p>"Not usually, no," Caduceus said. "Somehow I just always find it both too quiet and too loud here."</p><p>"I can see that," Fjord said. "Cities aren't for everyone."</p><p>"No," Caduceus agreed, and when Fjord looked over to him, he could see Caduceus eyeing him speculatively. "Do you miss the sea?" He sloshed a hand through the water significantly.</p><p>Fjord felt his lips twist into a tiny smile. "Some, yeah," he agreed. "Also, I'm…" He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I'm always cold in my dreams."</p><p>Caduceus nodded. "Makes sense," he said. "Glad this can make you feel a little better." He looked pleased with himself as he readjusted in his seat, propping himself a little further up against the wall behind him. The motion made the soft swell of his breasts peek up over the edge of the water.</p><p>Fjord felt his cheeks heat up a little at the combination of the self-satisfied smile on Caduceus's face and the glimpse of temptingly curved skin. Caduceus was casual in his nudity, happy to wander their house or campsite partially clothed or not covered at all, so it wasn't a new sight, but there was an intimacy to the moment, the two of them alone in the semi-darkness, warm and wet and sharing truths, and Fjord had always found Caduceus's moments of smugness oddly compelling.</p><p>When he finally dragged his eyes back to Caduceus's face, Caduceus was watching him knowingly. He shifted, reaching up ostensibly to pull his hair back away from his neck, but as he did, he stretched his back, the water sliding off his chest, leaving it bare for Fjord's eyes. They dropped, hungrily taking in the sight, imagining what it would feel like to touch the soft velvety skin, to feel the water clinging there, to lean in with his lips and taste –</p><p>"Fjord."</p><p>His eyes darted up to Caduceus's guiltily. "Uh," he said eloquently.</p><p>He expected to see some kind of reproach there, or at least the hint of Caduceus being uncomfortable with his scrutiny, but instead Caduceus let his hand drop from his hair and reached for one of his breasts instead, cupping it, weighing its buoyance in the water. "You can look," he said in the same mild tone he used for everything else. "You could touch, too, if you wanted."</p><p>Fjord nearly swallowed his tongue. "I. Um. What."</p><p>Caduceus's smile was soft. "You think I don't see you looking when we share rooms? Don't see the way you always find your way to my corner of the bubble when we camp? There's very little that goes on around me that I don't notice, Fjord. For someone as adept at hiding as you are, you're not very good at subtlety."</p><p>"Hey, I - !" Fjord spluttered, but he found that he couldn't even begin figuring out the words to defend himself. Of course Caduceus knew. Caduceus had probably known about Fjord's attraction to him longer than Fjord had himself. "Okay, I mean, you're not wrong."</p><p>"I know." Caduceus still looked a little smug, which was doing all the right things to Fjord's insides, making him feel like he was being wound tightly, his fingers tingling with the need to feel Caduceus's skin against them.</p><p>Caduceus leaned back, dropping his hand, letting the water cover his chest again. "Come here, Fjord," he said. The words were gentle, with no commanding tone to them, but Fjord found himself helpless to resist them, suddenly overwhelmed with a desire to give Caduceus anything he wanted. He floated forward across the tub slower than he could have, drawing out the moment, and he settled onto his knees on the seat beside Caduceus.</p><p>Caduceus smiled tenderly at him. "Hi," he said.</p><p>Fjord let out a low laugh. "Hi," he replied, and reached under the water to curve his fingers against one of Caduceus's breasts.</p><p>Caduceus arched into the touch, a low rumble of approval passing his lips. His skin was exactly as soft as Fjord had anticipated, yielding to him under the water, and Fjord let the flat of his palm skate across the velvety surface, his fingers pressing in just a little, feeling the softness yield to him.</p><p>"Oh," Caduceus was breathing out when Fjord's thumb brushed over his nipple, and the word choked off at the hoarse gasp he sucked in. "Oh, Fjord, that's…wow." He let his head fall against the rim of the tub, his chest pressing up into Fjord's touch, and Fjord shifted, dropping one of his knees against the seat between Caduceus's legs, his other hand moving to mirror the motion on the other side of Caduceus's body, both his hands covering Caduceus's breasts, his thumbs stroking over the nipples.</p><p>Caduceus moaned at the touch, a full throaty groan that sent a jolt of arousal through Fjord, but all his attention was focused on Caduceus's chest, on the impossible softness of the curve of his skin under Fjord's hands, the way his nipples tightened at his touch, the feeling of his whole body reacting, leaning into Fjord, wordlessly demanding more.</p><p>Fjord looked to the side, to the twist of greenery working its way up the wall, along the edge of the water, and one of his hands lifted to pluck one of the water plants flourishing along the edge of the tub. He made a complicated gesture, whispered under his breath, and he gave Caduceus a wicked grin before ducking under the water.</p><p>His mouth pressed to the side curve of Caduceus's breast, not closing on the nipple just yet, his lips open against the soft skin, tongue pressing in warm circles. The sound of Caduceus's moans was muffled through the water, but when Fjord took a breath of the water and continued, working his way over the skin, he felt Caduceus's jolt of surprise, felt one of his hands tangle into Fjord's hair.</p><p>He grinned against the curve of him, his other hand still working at Caduceus's nipple, feeling him rock forward, pressing himself hot and slick against Fjord's leg.</p><p>Caduceus's fingers were gentle in his hair, not demanding, stroking almost soothingly, but they went tight for just a moment when Fjord's lips closed around his nipple, his tongue sweeping over it in long slow motions. His muffled words were meaningless through the water, but Fjord kept going, kissing from one breast to the other, never lifting his head, his hands exploring the skin that he couldn't reach with his mouth.</p><p>He kept his leg pressed between Caduceus's, his own arousal all but forgotten as Caduceus shuddered against him, both his hands against Fjord's head now, holding him close, almost cradling him, Fjord's tongue and lips and fingers working at his nipples until Caduceus's whole body went still, his legs clamping down around Fjord's, hips jerking helplessly as Fjord continued to suck at one of his nipples.</p><p>His hands were so gentle as they pulled Fjord's head up out of the water, looking at him with an expression that might have been wonder.</p><p>"You're…" Caduceus said, his voice gravelly and wrecked. He couldn't seem to find the words, a vague contented smile spreading across his lips. "That was nice."</p><p>Fjord murmured a wordless agreement, leaning in to press a kiss to Caduceus's neck, just below his jawline, soft with his velvety skin and rough with the edges of his beard. Caduceus rumbled in pleasure, sinking his fingers into Fjord's hair again, holding him there for a long moment before pulling him back with large, warm, kind hands.</p><p>"Can I…?" he asked, his eyes flickering down into the water.</p><p>Fjord considered it for a long moment, imagined settling back down against Caduceus's lap and feeling his hand on him, or resting against the edge of the tub and feeling the heat of his mouth instead. It was tempting, but more than that, Fjord felt the need to be warm and dry, Caduceus curled up behind him, their bodies wrapped together. Maybe then, he would be ready to feel those soft broad hands wrapping around him, bringing him off.</p><p>"Come to my bed?" he offered, and Caduceus's face split into a grin.</p><p>"Yeah," he agreed fervently. "I think I've had about enough water for one night." He reached out to touch Fjord's lips almost teasingly. "And I think you have, too."</p><p>Fjord grinned, coughing lightly. "Yeah," he agreed. "Worth it, though."</p><p>"Mm," Caduceus agreed. He stretched, his breasts rising up, water dripping off of them, and Fjord couldn't help but duck down to press a kiss to the top of one of them. He could feel Caduceus laugh before his hand cupped Fjord's face and drew it back upwards. "You can do that all you like," he promised, "when I'm warm and dry."</p><p>"I'm holding you to that," Fjord said, already imagining getting Caduceus spread out on his bed, kissing him everywhere.</p><p>He could see from the way Caduceus's eyes went a little wide that he was imagining the same thing. "C'mon," he said, his fingers tangling into Fjord's, insistent for the first time. His smile had that same self-satisfied pleased edge to it as he stood, water running down his body, and hauled Fjord to his feet beside him. "Something tells me you're not going to have any trouble sleeping tonight."</p><p>And, hours later, stretched out across Caduceus's body, his head pillowed on his shoulder, one of his hands resting gently against the lower curve of his breast, Fjord closed his eyes and decided with his last conscious thought that Caduceus was probably right.</p><p>He slept deeply, and dreams of the depths were the furthest thing from his mind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Caduceus/Fjord, voyeurism, rated M, trans Caduceus</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>originally posted 8/19/2020 to criticalkink in response to this prompt: https://criticalkink.dreamwidth.org/3194.html?thread=1472890#cmt1472890</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fjord was very busy counting the grain lines in the ceiling planks for the third time when he heard Caduceus's voice from the other side of the room.</p><p>He tilted his head to the side, intending to ask <i>sorry, what was that?</i> but the sight he found illuminated in the bright moonlight streaming in from outside the window cut off the words before he could make a sound. His mouth snapped shut, eyes going wide at the clearly outlined silhouette of Caduceus, hand moving rhythmically under his blanket, hips arching up into his touch.</p><p>Fjord held very still, not wanting to move for fear of interrupting, but not quite able to close his eyes either, to give Caduceus some privacy. As he watched, Caduceus let out another sound, a low moan that went straight to Fjord's dick.</p><p>His head was rolled back against the pillow, hair spread out across it, and Fjord found himself imagining pressing his lips to the long stretch of Caduceus's neck, feeling his pulse leap beneath the soft skin there.</p><p>Caduceus shifted, bracing his feet against the bed, rocking his hips harder against his hand, and as Fjord watched, the blanket slipped a little further, baring the motion of Caduceus's wrist, the unmistakable thrust of him fucking his fingers into himself. Now that Fjord was focusing, he could hear a slick sound accompanying the motion, and his mouth watered at the thought of kneeling there between Caduceus's spread legs, leaning in to taste him.</p><p>He shifted against the bed minutely, not making any noise, just letting his arm drop so that his fingers were close to the uncomfortable hardness in his pants. He adjusted himself, trying to find some relief, but instead he found that the touch made it worse, ramping up his desire to feel Caduceus against his skin. He couldn't move his arm away, his fingers staying pressed against himself, thumb curling lightly over the head of his cock through his pants as he watched Caduceus taking himself apart across the room.</p><p>Caduceus was utterly lost to the world around him, oblivious to everything as his fingers fucked into himself. His other hand lifted, fell against the pillow, tangling into his own hair and pulling, and Fjord had to bite down hard on his lip to keep from letting out a strangled noise at the sight, his own fingers trembling with the need to give Caduceus that kind of pleasure, to be the one making him thrash and gasp against the bed.</p><p>Fjord let go of any pretense of not touching himself, his fingers gliding steadily over his cock through his pants, long practiced in the art of surreptitious release, his eyes wide and not leaving Caduceus as his body tightened with anticipation.</p><p>There was nothing teasing about Caduceus's movements, nothing slow or gentle, but he seemed to be drawing it out, making himself take it for as long as he could, and by the time Fjord could see his muscles twitching, helplessly on the edge, he was near coming himself, his body tense with the effort of keeping himself from fucking messily into his own hand.</p><p>Instead he watched, motionless but for the stroke of his fingers against himself, as Caduceus's hips thrust against his hand once, again, and then his whole body went still, trembling, except for his hand, fucking furiously into himself, his head thrashing to the side, lips parting to let out a helpless moan as he came.</p><p>Fjord shuddered and came silently into his hand.</p><p>Caduceus's body went slack, hips and arms dropping lifelessly to the bed, and slowly, blinkingly, his eyes opened. Fjord could see them dark and wide, even in the dim light, but instead of being vague and unfocused, they were looking right at Fjord.</p><p>Fjord snapped his eyes shut and held very still, not sure that the shadows on this side of the room would be enough to hide him, but Caduceus said nothing. Eventually, he heard Caduceus shift against the bed, and he let himself peek just a little, peering out through his eyelashes. Caduceus was curled up on his side, facing away from Fjord, the blanket once more tucked securely around him.</p><p>Fjord let out a tiny breath of relief and closed his eyes. His thoughts were no longer whirring in his head, and he thought that maybe this time he might be able to actually fall asleep. No more counting woodgrain, just the heavy quiet comfort of Caduceus's slow breathing beside him, and –</p><p>"Next time," he heard in a low voice from across the room, "you don't have to stay all the way over there, if you don't want."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Caduceus/Fjord, Caduceus/Caleb, mostly platonic Caduceus/everyone else, breastfeeding, rated E, trans Caduceus</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>originally posted 9/7/2020 to criticalkink in response to this prompt: https://criticalkink.dreamwidth.org/3194.html?thread=1474938#cmt1474938</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"When I prayed for the Wildmother's aid," Caduceus said, tilting his head back to look at the cloudless, windless sky above them so that he didn't have to meet anyone else's eyes, "I have to admit that this was not what I had in mind."</p><p>"She said help was coming, right?" Jester prodded. "When you asked yesterday – "</p><p>"Yes," Caduceus agreed. "She was unclear on how long it would take, but…yes. Someone will find us. Until then…" He let his head tip down, still not looking directly at anyone. "I will be able to provide." His chest felt heavy and sore, unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but even that sensation was preferable to what he knew he would see in the others' faces if he were to look at them. The trepidation, the pity, maybe the disgust. He swallowed. "I will…stay in the far cabin, belowdecks," he said. "I know this will be weird for everyone, and I'm sorry about that, but I really do want you all to be healthy and safe, so…please come see me when you need to." He could feel how hot his face was, feel their eyes on him. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he turned to go, "that the answer to this wasn't something easier."</p><p>"Hey," Beau said, her voice sharp enough to make him pause, but not to turn to look at them. "Fuck that apology business. You're gonna keep us from dying, Cad. That's pretty fucking sweet. Tell the big lady upstairs thanks for us next time you talk to her."</p><p>He felt a tiny smile tug at his lips at her bluntness. "Thank you, Beau," he said. "I'll do that." His feet felt as heavy as his chest as he made his way down the ladder and to the small, cramped cabin at the end of the hall. He curled into a ball on the bunk and stared blankly out the porthole, half anticipating and half dreading each knock on the door.</p><p>"Ca-du-ceus," he heard finally through the door in a lilting singsong, and he couldn't help but smile a little.</p><p>"Hi, Jester."</p><p>"Are you <i>busy</i>?" she asked significantly.</p><p>He breathed out a laugh. "No, no one is in here. You can come in."</p><p>Her head appeared in the doorway, grinning at him. "Am I the first one? I thought I might be the first one. Everyone else is going to be really weird about it, I can tell." Her eyes dropped to Caduceus's chest. "I decided I'm too hungry to be weird." She settled onto the bed beside him. "So. How do we do this?" she asked cheerfully.</p><p>He swallowed. "Uh," he said. "I'm not sure. I haven't…" He shifted so he was leaning back against the wall and untied his shirt, letting the top hang open enough that he could push it down to bare one of his breasts. Even the slight brush of the fabric and his fingers against the skin made him feel stretched and uncomfortable, but he gently curved his fingers, lifting a little. "I guess just…?" he offered.</p><p>She tilted her head like she was strategizing, and then she was leaning forward, one of her hands curling around Caduceus's, helping him support the breast as her lips closed around the nipple. She sucked, and the sensation was immediate, sharpness and relief and –</p><p>"<i>Oh</i>," Caduceus breathed out, completely overwhelmed. He let out an involuntary whimper as Jester immediately pulled away, looking up at him, his whole body protesting the loss of her lips against him, the delicious suction.</p><p>"Oh, no, does it hurt?" she asked, her eyes wide and alarmed. "I don't want to hurt you."</p><p>"I…" he swallowed. "No." His face wrinkled in thought. "Not…quite. It…I don't think I have the words for it. You're not hurting me, though." He tried to keep the desperation from his voice as he said, "Please, keep going."</p><p>"Oka-ay," she said hesitantly, "but you tell me if you need me to stop."</p><p>He nodded, reassuring her, and drew in a sharp breath as her lips closed around his nipple again. It wasn't quite pain, or pleasure, or anything he had ever felt before, and he found himself suffused with relief that it was Jester who had come in first, Jester who understood what it was to feel the presence of a higher being working through her, who was unabashed about bodies and what they could do with and for each other, who gave him a wide sated smile as she finally pulled away, her fingers pressing a gentle heal into his heated skin as she wiped him off and tucked him away into his shirt again.</p><p>"Thanks, Caduceus," she said, sitting back on her knees. He stayed sprawled back against the wall, feeling unfamiliarly drained.</p><p>"Thank the Wildmother," he said.</p><p>"Your god's pretty cool," she said. She looked troubled. "The Traveler hasn't answered me at all."</p><p>Caduceus reached out to take her hand. His mind felt sluggish. He couldn't think of any reassurances. They sat there for a long moment, hand in hand, feeling the waves rocking the ship under them, and just as he was trying to come up with some words to give her, there was a hesitant knock at the door.</p><p>"Come in!" Jester called, and there was a low startled, "Oh!" from the other side of the wood. Jester dropped Caduceus's hand and leapt up to pull the door open. "Your turn!"</p><p>"I'm sorry," Yasha said, her eyes darting between them. "I didn't mean to interrupt…"</p><p>"You didn't," Jester assured her. "I'm done." She turned back and beamed at Caduceus. "Thank you, Caduceus! I feel much less hungry now."</p><p>He smiled back. "Of course," he said. "Happy to help."</p><p>She gave them both a cheerful wave before closing the door behind her, leaving Yasha and Caduceus looking at each other awkwardly.</p><p>Caduceus wasn't quite sure how to tell if Yasha was blushing, but she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, her eyes darting around the room. "Uh," she said.</p><p>He sat up a little from the wall and patted the bed beside him. "Here," he said. The full, heavy feeling that had subsided with the feeling of Jester's lips on him was returning as he looked at Yasha, her eyes dropping to his chest hungrily, and he scooted forward to meet Yasha as she settled hesitantly right where he had indicated.</p><p>She sat there stiffly, a muscle in her jaw twitching. "I'd like to make this easier for you," she said finally, her voice low and strained, "but I don't know how."</p><p>Caduceus smiled gently and let one of his hands fall to her arm, squeezing gently. "You don't need to do anything," he assured her. "Just let me help." He tugged his shirt open and reached up to cup her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and let him draw her to his breast.</p><p>She sucked harder than Jester, less experimental and more utilitarian, trying to draw as much from him as she could. She didn't object when he curled his fingers into her hair, so he kept them there, anchoring himself as he felt like his entire being was narrowing to the insistent suction of her lips, the exquisite pull and release within him. Her arm went around him, steadying him, and he let himself lean back into her grip, relaxing a little, letting her support him as she took what his body gave her.</p><p>He felt weak when she finally pulled away, his eyes blinking sluggishly open, his fingers feeling stiff as he let them fall from her hair. Her fingers were steady and sure as she reached to close his shirt for him, her hands guiding him to lay back against the bed. He curled up into a ball, and she let her hand make one long slow path down his body, warm and soothing.</p><p>"Thank you," she said simply, and left.</p><p>He slept. He wasn't sure for how long, but when he opened his eyes to a light tap on the door, he couldn't help but groan at the soreness radiating from his chest. He looked down to find the front of his shirt dark and damp, and he was patting at it ruefully as he sat up, calling, "Come in," around a huge yawn.</p><p>Caleb stepped into the room and shut the door firmly behind him, leaning back against it. "Ah," he said, taking in the sight of Caduceus pawing at his shirt. "I can bring you a new one from your pack, if you like," he offered.</p><p>Caduceus smiled. "I don't know that it matters," he said, and stripped the shirt off over his head, letting it fall to the floor. "I'll just mess up that one, too. Anyway, I don't have anything you all haven't seen before." He was free with his nudity, not generally paying much attention to what clothes he had on as he wandered their campsite or the Xhorhaus, but somehow it felt more loaded now, Caleb's eyes on him, his breasts swollen and leaking, marks beginning to bloom on his skin from the insistent press of Yasha's lips.</p><p>"No," Caleb agreed vaguely. "I suppose that's true." He stayed against the door as if he'd been glued to it. "I apologize," he said eventually, "if I woke you."</p><p>Caduceus shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. He wanted to set Caleb at ease, to draw him in like he had with Yasha, but his head still felt foggy from his nap, and his whole body was thrumming with need, so they just stared at each other for a very long time before Caleb was the one to take a hesitant step forward.</p><p>"Could I…?" he asked, and gestured at the edge of the bed.</p><p>"'Course," Caduceus said roughly. Caleb settled beside him, his leg pressing against Caduceus's, and Caduceus felt his face go hot in a way it hadn't with Jester and Yasha. There had been a low hum of embarrassment with them, but now, with his shirt off and Caleb warm and close beside him, Caduceus could feel the beginnings of arousal stirring in him as well.</p><p>Caleb was studying him, eyes traveling over him like he was working out a puzzle. His hand reached out to press to Caduceus's chest, not touching his breasts, but settling flat at his sternum, pushing him lightly backward toward the pillow. "Would you let me…?" he asked.</p><p>Caduceus didn't know what the end of the question was, but it hardly mattered. "Yes," he breathed out, letting himself fall back against the bed under Caleb's hand. "<i>Anything,</i>" he managed not to gasp out, but he was certain that Caleb could feel it in the easy yielding of his body.</p><p>Caleb kept his hand flat against Caduceus's chest for a long moment, looking down at him. "I was concerned," he said, "before I came in, that this would be hurting you. It is not, though, is it?"</p><p>Caduceus swallowed. He shook his head. Caleb let his hand very slowly trace down the center of Caduceus's chest before reaching for one of his breasts, moving carefully, eyes on Caduceus as if waiting for him to tell him to stop. Instead, Caduceus let out a moan as Caleb's fingers brushed the lower curve of skin, feeling all the tension in his whole body narrow to that spot, the heat of Caleb's touch, the anticipation of the press of his lips.</p><p>"I'm glad," Caleb said. "I don't want to hurt you." His thumb brushed over Caduceus's nipple, slowly and deliberately, watching for his reaction, and Caduceus let out a broken noise, his back arching to push up into the touch, desperate for more.</p><p>Caleb lifted his hand away from Caduceus, and Caduceus whimpered at the loss of his touch, but the sound caught in his throat at the sight of Caleb lifting his thumb to his lips and tasting it.</p><p>Caduceus closed his eyes. His body ached. He was slick in his trousers, his breasts stiff and painful, his muscles tight with the tension of anticipation. "This is hurting me," he admitted. "The waiting, I can't…" He opened his eyes to meet Caleb's. "Caleb, <i>please</i>."</p><p>"Oh!" Caleb's expression faded immediately from intellectual curiosity to alarm. "Caduceus, I'm sorry. I didn't – " he broke off his words and ducked his head immediately, closing his lips around Caduceus's nipple. Caduceus jerked at the sensation, a sob of breath tearing out of him, and Caleb's tongue laved over his skin carefully for an excruciating moment before he started to suck. His eyes were still open, peering up at Caduceus, watching for his reaction.</p><p>Caduceus reached a hand to brush back some of the hair falling into Caleb's eyes, tucking it behind his ear. "Good," he said reassuringly, "yes. Thank you, Caleb." He felt a shiver run through Caleb at the words, and Caleb's eyes drifted closed, focusing in earnest on pulling what he needed from Caduceus, sending shockwaves of pleasure from his chest to the rest of his body. "That's good," Caduceus continued, his words settling into a pleasant rumble, one of Caleb's hands pressing over his ribs like he was feeling the vibration of them. Caduceus arched up into the touch, and breathed out a moan at the brush of fabric over his nether regions as he did. He could feel his face overheating, wanting desperately to roll his hips into the sensation, but not wanting to take advantage of Caleb, to take something from this moment that Caleb wasn't offering. Caduceus let one of his arms drop across his face, covering it, sinking his teeth into the skin of his wrist to keep from rolling his hips obscenely, chasing the pleasure that was thrumming through him.</p><p>Caleb's lips lost contact with his breast, and Caduceus muffled a cry of protest against his arm. He felt Caleb's fingers wrapping around his wrist, pulling it from his face, and when he looked down to meet Caleb's eyes, they were burning into him.</p><p>"This feels good for you," he said.</p><p>A choked laugh burst from Caduceus at the understatement. "Yes," he said. He bit his lip hard to keep from begging Caleb to keep going.</p><p>"Good," Caleb said. His fingers around Caduceus's wrist tugged at it, dragging it lower, down his body. He turned his hand so their fingers were intertwined, and pressed them together between Caduceus's legs. Caduceus moaned, his hips arching up involuntarily into his own touch, and Caleb's lips twisted into a smile, his hand drawing away. "You don't need to fight it. You can do that, while I do this." He ducked his head again and captured Caduceus's nipple in his mouth, sucking harder this time, with more intent, pausing just briefly to let his tongue do something absolutely mind-bending before latching back on, setting every nerve in Caduceus's body on fire.</p><p>Caduceus's fingers twitched convulsively, touching himself almost involuntarily, drowning entirely in the feeling of Caleb pressing warm along his body, his hand gentle against Caduceus's side, the unbearable sweetness of lips and tongue working at his nipple. He reached the edge and held himself there, shaking under Caleb's touch, not letting himself fuck into his hand, just teasing himself with his fingers, letting the delicious suction of Caleb's mouth wash over him.</p><p>"Caleb," he gasped out finally, when he couldn't take it anymore, and he looked down to find Caleb's eyes on him, piercing. His fingers went tight and encouraging against Caduceus's side, his lips working obscenely as he swallowed.</p><p>Caduceus shuddered and came, the pleasure washing through him, filling him and then emptying him out entirely, leaving him melted against the bed.</p><p>Slowly, gently, Caleb drew off, pressing a last soft kiss to Caduceus's skin. Caduceus whimpered at the loss of contact, but instead of pulling away, Caleb leaned down to press his forehead to Caduceus's chest, pillowing it there, breathing unsteadily.</p><p>Caduceus let a heavy hand fall against the back of Caleb's neck, holding him close, letting his fingers brush through his hair. "Thank you," he said thickly. "That was…I needed that." He felt Caleb breathe in sharply, so he continued, recalling his reaction to his words earlier. "You were so good for me." He could feel Caleb's eyelashes flutter against his skin. "I could do something for you, if you'd like."</p><p>He felt Caleb twitch against him, but when he finally sat up, letting Caduceus's hand fall from his neck, he shook his head. "Not today. You're doing so much for all of us right now." His cheeks were pink as he met Caduceus's eyes. "Perhaps another time, though."</p><p>Caduceus reached to rest a wide hand against the side of his face. "Anytime you want," he said fervently.</p><p>Caleb leaned in to press a gentle kiss against his forehead. "You're a good man, Caduceus" he murmured against the skin there before extracting himself from Caduceus and moving to the door. He gave him a long lingering look before letting himself out into the hallway.</p><p>There was the low murmur of voices beyond the door, and Caduceus felt a spike of worry that someone else was going to come in immediately, but instead the voices faded, and he was left there alone to stare up at the ceiling and drink in the unexpected memory of Caleb's hands and mouth on his body.</p><p>The sun was starting to turn colors against the horizon before he heard the next knock at the door. He had taken the time between to settle his body down, clean up, and meditate for a while on the Wildmother's strange gift, and his chest was beginning to ache again in a way that made a wave of gratitude surge through him as Beau leaned around the door.</p><p>"Hey," she said. "Caleb said you might need a break before. Is now okay?"</p><p>A faint smile crossed Caduceus's face. "Now's fine, Beau." He waved a hand. "Please, come in."</p><p>"Great, thanks." She closed the door behind her. "So, just to be clear, I'm doing this because I'm fucking starving, but we're never talking about it ever again."</p><p>He nodded. "That's a deal," he promised.</p><p>"Cool." She knelt across from him on the bed. "So…" she scrutinized him. "Is there any particular way that you…?"</p><p>He shrugged. He was still shirtless, and settled himself in a matching position across from her, almost as if they were going to meditate together. Instead, though, he leaned back on his hands and waited for her to lean in and catch one of his nipples between her lips. Her motions were confident and practiced at first, but entirely the wrong pressure for what she needed, more designed to titillate than to draw anything from him. She drew back, frowning at his breast like it had betrayed her.</p><p>"Look, I generally know what I'm doing around a pair of tits, but this is fucking bizarre."</p><p>He laughed. "Incredibly," he agreed.</p><p>She leaned in again, sucking harder this time, and he felt the sudden release of pressure as she drank from him. He leaned into it, feeling almost as hungry for her touch as she was for sustenance. He arched his chest toward her lips, chasing the feeling of her mouth against him, the blessed relief of the soreness fading from his body.</p><p>She pulled back eventually, swiping the back of her hand over her lips.</p><p>"Enough?" he asked, and waited for her nod before he sat up, curling his legs under him.</p><p>"Thanks," she said shortly.</p><p>He nodded. "I'm sorry that this situation is uncomfortable," he said. "But thank you, for trusting me."</p><p>"Yeah," she said. Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "I usually do, man."</p><p>He smiled. "That's mutual."</p><p>"Good." She scrambled off the bed. "No offense, though, I'm going to hope we get rescued before I have to do that again." She licked her lips and made a face.</p><p>He laughed. "That," he said, "is also mutual."</p><p>She was grinning as she pulled the door open, and would have smacked Veth in the face with it if she hadn't leapt back out of range at the last second.</p><p>"Good luck," Beau said to Veth as she passed. "It's fucking weird." She gave Caduceus a wave before disappearing down the hallway.</p><p>Veth was smiling as she closed the door behind her and turned to Caduceus. "I can come back later if you need some time," she said. "But I know when it was me, I usually wasn't quite done when he was."</p><p>Caduceus blinked. "Oh," he said. "Right. You've done this."</p><p>Veth smiled ruefully. "Yeah," she said. "Beau's not wrong." She climbed up onto the bed to settle beside him. "It's fucking weird." Caduceus laughed. She looked up at him. "I'm not saying it's the same, though. At least when I was doing it, it was for someone I loved like I've never loved anyone else in my entire life."</p><p>"Well." A faint smile lingered on his lips. "I love all of you like I've never loved anyone else." Her eyebrows raised a little, so he qualified. "Not more than, necessarily. Just…I love you all in very different ways than I have ever loved other people."</p><p>She grinned. "You're a strange man, Mr. Clay." She tilted to the side, knocking her shoulder against his arm. "We love you, too. And not just because you're saving our asses with this whole thing. But it doesn't hurt."</p><p>He let his arm curl around her. "Thanks," he said.</p><p>Her face was already very close to his breast, and she looked up at him over it. "So, should I just…" Her eyes fell to his nipple.</p><p>"Sure," he said agreeably. It was the other breast from the one Beau had used, and it still felt tight and heavy, ready to feel the suction of her lips against it.</p><p>She tucked herself against his side, and he held her close as she pressed her mouth almost sweetly to his nipple. He was almost reminded of Beau's first attempt until Veth latched her mouth more firmly against him and sucked hard. He gasped, his arm going tight around her, and she popped off, looking up at him.</p><p>"Okay?" she asked.</p><p>"Yes," he breathed out, and reached up to press a wide hand to the back of her head and drag her back in.</p><p>She let him, attaching to his nipple greedily. She sucked steadily, less forcefully than Yasha, but deep and slow, leaving him with the sensation that she was pulling from every part of him. He held her tight against his chest, his arms curling around her small frame so easily, and he was almost reluctant to let her go when she finally pulled away.</p><p>She placed a small hand to his chest, over the swell of his breasts, and looked up at him. "It's a lot, isn't it?" she asked tenderly.</p><p>He swallowed, looking down at her. He hadn't let himself think about it too much yet, the overwhelming emotion that this was unlocking in him for each of them, and he felt tears sting his eyes. "It is," he agreed thickly.</p><p>She stood, still in the circle of his arm, and she pulled him close to her, letting him bury his face in her own chest, her fingers brushing soothingly through his hair. He didn't quite cry, but he let a few tears leak out of his eyes, and he held her tightly to him for a long moment, letting out shuddering breaths against her skin until he finally felt them subside, a sense of peace welling up in him.</p><p>"Better?" she asked finally, and he lifted his head, blinking at her in the fading sunset light streaming in through the window.</p><p>"Much," he agreed.</p><p>"It's a real bitch, isn't it?" she asked, backing out of the circle of his arms. "Family?"</p><p>He laughed. "Yeah," he agreed fervently. "It really is."</p><p>She grinned at him. "Thanks," she said. "Can't say that was the best drink I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst either."</p><p>He grinned back. "Yeah, well," he said. "I don't know from drinks."</p><p>"I'll teach you one of these days," she said brightly, and paused at the door to wink at him. "But obviously not while you're breastfeeding." She swept out the door.</p><p>He was alone for a long while, and it took until it was fully dark for him to start to come to the conclusion that he was going to have to hunt Fjord down himself if he wanted him to eat. The thought of wandering the ship with his breasts aching to ask everyone if they had seen Fjord - to look them all in the face and know that they'd know exactly why he was looking for him - was exhausting, but he was just starting to prepare to do it when the smallest, most hesitant knock sounded at the door.</p><p>Caduceus pulled it open to find Fjord standing there. His knocking hand was already tucking behind his back, formal and expectant.</p><p>"Uh," Fjord said. His eyes fell to Caduceus's bare chest. "Hi."</p><p>"Hi, Fjord," Caduceus said warmly. "Would you like to come in?"</p><p>Fjord shifted between his feet, peering past Caduceus into the cabin. "Have you been in there all day?" His brow furrowed. "You shouldn't have to do that."</p><p>Caduceus shrugged. "I'm sure if this continues we'll figure out some kind of routine," he said. "For now, I wanted everyone to be comfortable. To not feel like everyone else was watching them." <i>To not feel like everyone was watching me,</i> he didn't add.</p><p>Fjord nodded. "Makes sense," he said, but instead of stepping into the room, he reached to undo his cape and toss it around Caduceus's shoulders before tangling his fingers into Caduceus's. "Tomorrow, though, if you do this again, you should use my cabin. There are windows in there, and a balcony. You shouldn't have to be locked up to do this, that's absurd. Everyone knows what's going on. We don't have to hide it from each other." He turned, tugging Caduceus behind him down the hall. "C'mon," he said. "We're going to get you some fresh air."</p><p>"I'm fine…" Caduceus said faintly, but he let Fjord tug him along behind him, the thought of the sea air suddenly almost as intoxicating as the anticipation of Fjord's mouth on his chest.</p><p>He followed Fjord up the ladder to the deck, and felt almost instantly lighter as the cool salty air touched his skin. "Oh," he said, breaking Fjord's hold on him to lean against the railing. "Oh, yeah, you're not wrong."</p><p>Fjord chuckled low in his throat, coming to lean against the railing beside him, their arms touching as they looked out over the majestic scope of the sea. "No," he agreed. "I'm not."</p><p>He let Caduceus stand there for a very long time, drinking in the air, casting up a prayer to the Wildmother, and when he finally turned to face Fjord again, Fjord was watching him with the softest smile on his face.</p><p>Caduceus let a hand fall to tangle into Fjord's again. "Okay," he said. "I'm good now, thanks. We can…" he gestured back belowdecks. He let his eyes dart to Fjord's. "You must be hungry."</p><p>Fjord's eyes flashed in something that might have been confirmation, but instead of steering them back to the ladder, he used his grip on Caduceus's hand to tug him toward the center of the ship. "I have a better idea," he said.</p><p>The climb to the crow's nest was long, and Caduceus was shaky and tired, but as he crowded into the small space against Fjord, he had to admit that it had been worth it. The remnants of the blanket fort gave them a soft shield from the eyes of anyone below, but the canopy was open to the sky, the stars shining brightly above them. Fjord settled back against the railing and tugged Caduceus back against his chest. Caduceus fell back gratefully, pillowing his head on Fjord's shoulder and looking up into the sky, his eyes tracing patterns between the stars.</p><p>Fjord's arms were warm and solid around him, but he felt stiff, uncertain, until eventually Caduceus pulled away to sit up. Fjord curled his legs up, leaning his arms against them, looking steadily at Caduceus.</p><p>"I don't think we should do this," he said.</p><p>Caduceus blinked. He allowed Fjord the dignity of not asking what he meant, but he felt a frown of concern cross his face as he said, "Why not?"</p><p>A muscle in Fjord's jaw twitched. "I don't like this 'solution' She's given us. It feels…unfair. Like we're exploiting you. If She can sustain you enough to do this, why can't She just sustain all of us?"</p><p>Caduceus shrugged. "If I understood how godly powers work, I'd be a god instead of a cleric, I guess."</p><p>"You don't have the ego to be a god."</p><p>Caduceus smiled. "No," he agreed. "Probably not."</p><p>Fjord sighed. "It's putting you in a shitty position," he said. "And I trust Her, mostly, but…I don't like the idea that She's willing to do that. You're Her loyal servant, and She's demanding – "</p><p>Caduceus cut off his words with a harsh laugh. "Loyal," he repeated. "Me. The one who is still out here, on the sea with all of you instead of home tending to my grove the way that my family has always been commanded?"</p><p>Fjord blinked at him. "You think that She's upset with you?"</p><p>"Upset? No, not necessarily. But I think that I outlived the mission that sent me away from my home when I found my family. Now? I'm just doing what I can in Her service while on a path that She didn’t send me down." He held Fjord's gaze. "And part of that service," he said, "is keeping all of you alive."</p><p>Fjord's eyes dropped to Caduceus's chest, barely covered by the drape of his cloak. He swallowed tightly. "I…" he said. "I don't know that I can."</p><p>"Why not?" Caduceus asked gently.</p><p>Fjord's breath was unsteady, but his eyes rose to meet Caduceus's without hesitation. "Because I don't know that I can take what you're offering without feeling like I'm taking advantage."</p><p>"You're not," Caduceus told him. "What I offer, I offer willingly."</p><p>The muscle in Fjord's jaw leapt. "And what exactly are you offering?"</p><p>Caduceus shifted his shoulder, letting the cloak fall to the side, exposing one of his breasts, even the brush of fabric over it feeling like too much with Fjord's eyes on him. He could see the color rise in Fjord's cheeks, the way his breath caught, but he did not move his eyes from Caduceus's.</p><p>"I offer what She has given me," Caduceus said simply. And then, in case Fjord had not yet followed his meaning, he clarified, "She has given me everything."</p><p>Fjord let out a low startled noise, his eyes going wide. "Caduceus…" he breathed out.</p><p>"Fjord," he replied steadily. "I offer you this, yes." He let a thumb brush over his nipple, feeling moisture dampen it, his whole body stringing tight at the sensation. He had to take a moment before his voice was steady enough to continue. "But if the reason you're unwilling to take it is that you think that you want more than I want from you..." He let his eyes drift down Fjord's body, slow and deliberate. "You're wrong."</p><p>"Oh." Fjord looked as if Caduceus had just hung a new moon in the sky just for him. "I – " He seemed to run out of words.</p><p>"I enjoy it, it turns out," Caduceus said, almost conversationally, reaching to undo the cloak and let it drop to the floor of the crow's nest. "It feels good. Unbearably good. The kind of good that feels really uncomfortable with anyone you're not attracted to."</p><p>"Oh," Fjord repeated, his cheeks darkening even further. "Did you. Uh."</p><p>Caduceus felt a slow smile creep over his face. "Did I let myself enjoy it with anyone else? Yes."</p><p>Fjord's mouth dropped open. "Oh."</p><p>Caduceus eyed him carefully. "Does that change what you want to do, here?"</p><p>Fjord shook his head so quickly that Caduceus knew it was genuine. "No," he said, his eyes on Caduceus's breasts. "I want…" Caduceus reached to cup one of them, lifting it invitingly, and Fjord let out an honest growl, crawling over Caduceus's body in no time at all. He paused with his lips nearly touching Caduceus's skin and darted his eyes up to him one last time.</p><p>Caduceus curled his fingers into Fjord's hair and dragged him forward.</p><p>Both of them moaned as Fjord's lips closed around his nipple, Fjord's sounds muffled against Caduceus's skin, Caduceus letting his head fall back against the railing behind him, letting the sound escaping from his lips echo up toward the sky. The sweet suction of Fjord's lips went right to the core of him, tugging within him, pulsing heat between his legs.</p><p>Fjord's thigh was there, pressed against him, and Caduceus let his hips rock against it shamelessly, his fingers holding Fjord's lips to his nipple, feeling his tongue swirl there and draw the most desperate gasps from him before he sucked more, harder, taking his cues from the way Caduceus's body responded to him.</p><p>He was shaking by the time Fjord pulled away, lips wet and dark, looking up at him with sated elation. Caduceus tried to still his hips, tried to calm himself, to convince himself that it was over now that Fjord had gotten what he had come for, but instead Fjord was kissing down his body, his fingers tugging at the edge of Caduceus's trousers, dragging them downwards.</p><p>"You don't have to – " he began, but Fjord pressed a hot kiss to his hip, growling against his skin.</p><p>"Let me give you this."</p><p>The heat of his mouth was intoxicating, the thought of the tongue that had been so deftly working his nipple moving elsewhere, so Caduceus spread his legs, and took what Fjord offered. He could feel the vibration of the moan that Fjord let out as his tongue discovered how slick and ready Caduceus was. The firm suction that had covered Caduceus's nipple was suddenly focused elsewhere, and Caduceus couldn't think. Everything was lost to him as Fjord licked and sucked and worked over Caduceus until he was trembling with desperation.</p><p>He was reaching the edge when he felt Fjord go stiff against him, his fingers tightening, mouth panting hot breath over Caduceus's skin. Caduceus blinked down at him to find Fjord's hips jerking helplessly. "Oh," he breathed out. He smoothed his hand over Fjord's hair, and felt Fjord lean into it, chasing his touch.</p><p>Fjord turned his head to bury his face against Caduceus's thigh. "Sorry," he gasped. "I'm sorry, I – it was just…too much."</p><p>Caduceus brushed his thumb over Fjord's skin, soothing, frantic. "'s okay," he murmured. "That was…you're incredible."</p><p>Fjord blinked hazily up at him before his gaze sharpened into something almost feral. He dropped his mouth to Caduceus again. There was a renewed vigor to his movements, a deliberate focus on giving Caduceus exactly what he needed, and Caduceus was writhing under him almost immediately, strung tight with tension, shaking as he reached the edge –</p><p>Fjord touched his nipples.</p><p>Caduceus let out a broken sob, his head falling back, the stars swirling into an incomprehensible haze above him. His whole body was alight with sensation – the heat of Fjord's mouth against him, the agonizing bliss of too much against his oversensitive chest.</p><p>He came. He came and it didn't end. He came and lost time, lost place, lost the ship beneath him and the sea around him and everything but heat and feeling and Fjord, Fjord's hands and his lips and the weight of him grounding Caduceus, keeping him solid and whole while everything shattered into nothingness around him.</p><p>"Fjord." The name fell from his lips before his eyes opened, before he registered the flat hardness of the floor beneath him, the soft warmth of the cloak tucked around him.</p><p>"I’m here." He blinked his eyes open, and there Fjord was, tucked against his side.</p><p>Caduceus curled closer, letting out a low rumble of pleasure at the feeling of Fjord's body pressed against his. "Next time," he said, pressing a kiss to the side of Fjord's head, "you're going to have to give me a chance to do something for you."</p><p>Fjord breathed out a laugh. "Yeah," he agreed before a furrow appeared between his brows. "Next time?" he repeated.</p><p>Caduceus swallowed. "Uh," he backpedaled, "if you'd like. Or we can just pretend this never happened. You wouldn't be the first one today to want that."</p><p>"No," Fjord said, his voice going a little sharp. "I don't want that." The furrow grew deeper. "Who would ask you for something like that?" he demanded.</p><p>Caduceus felt a fond smile spread across his face. "Beauregard."</p><p>"Oh." A matching smile twisted Fjord's lips. "Yeah. She would." He shook his head. "I do want a next time." His eyes were heated as he looked Caduceus over. "I want one badly. But if this was only because of…" The blanket shifted as he gestured to Caduceus's chest, "I understand if you'd like it to end once that's…not the situation anymore."</p><p>"I wouldn't like that," Caduceus told him.</p><p>Fjord looked serious for a very long moment, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. When Caduceus said nothing more, his face lit up. His voice was unsteady as he asked, "Really?"</p><p>In answer, Caduceus pulled him in close and gave him a long, slow, deep kiss. "Really," he said against Fjord's lips as he pulled away.</p><p>They curled up there together in the crow's nest, Fjord reaching up to drag one of the blankets from the railing down over them, shielding them from the wind that whipped past. "We should go to my cabin to sleep," he said eventually, and Caduceus rumbled out a wordless reply, but didn't extract himself.</p><p>Instead, he watched the stars swirl by overhead, and he pressed a kiss into Fjord's hair. "When I prayed for the Wildmother's aid," he said, repeating his words from earlier in the day and meaning something entirely new with them, "I have to admit that this was not what I had in mind."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jester/Caleb, roommate makeouts, rated T - contains some mentions of Caleb angst, Beau/Yasha, &amp; previous Caleb/Astrid/Eadwulf - spoilers through C2E112</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>originally posted 11/21/2020 to criticalkink in response to this prompt: https://criticalkink.dreamwidth.org/3194.html?thread=1521018#cmt1521018</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The knock against the door was solid but hesitant. "Caleb?" Jester's voice called from the other side. "Is this your room?"</p><p>"<i>Ja</i>, Jester," he replied, tucking his book away into its holster. "Come in."</p><p>"Hi!" she said, her head appearing around the door. Her eyes darted around the room like they were going to catch some illicit visitor sneaking away. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"</p><p>"Never," he replied. "Come in, come in."</p><p>She entered the room, closing the door behind her, and leaned against it. "It's good this was your room, Caleb! I thought I might be asking some completely random stranger if I could room with them, and that would be <i>so awkward</i>…" she trailed off, looking around the room again. "Caleb, you only have one bed!"</p><p>"Well, I am only one person," he pointed out. Her words finally registered as he spoke, and his brows knitted, squinting at her. "Wait. Room with them? You are asking to room with me?" He looked past her to the door. "Are Beau and Yasha okay?"</p><p>"Oh, they're okay, all right," she said. She stepped forward and perched on the end of the bed, folding her legs under her. "They're doing <i>just fine</i>." She gave him an elaborate wink.</p><p>"Oh!" He felt his cheeks heat up. "Ah. I see. Well." He looked around. "There are blankets enough in here that I will be perfectly comfortable on the floor, do not worry."</p><p>"Caleb," Jester said severely, looking at him with reproach. "Don't be ridiculous. We sleep next to each other in the dome all the time! I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor."</p><p>"I – "</p><p>"I'm not going to <i>let</i> you sleep on the floor," she continued. "If you'd rather I go share with Fjord and Caduceus, I can. Caduceus doesn't even <i>like</i> beds, he might not even be using his."</p><p>"I – " Caleb said faintly. "You can, if you would like, but no. I'm not uncomfortable having you here. I just don't want to…" he felt his face heat up a bit at the thought of all the ways his body could betray him in his sleep. "Impose," he finished weakly.</p><p>"Caleb! I'm the one imposing on you." A wicked twinkle appeared in her eye. "It's imposing for <i>such</i> a good cause, though." She dropped her voice conspiratorially. "Beau and Yasha are gonna <i>schnuggle</i>."</p><p>"Oh. That is…a term for it that I have not heard before. But…uh, good for them," Caleb offered. He felt a genuine smile curve at his lips. "I'm happy for them."</p><p>"Me too." Jester sighed dreamily. "Yasha wrote Beau a poem. It's all very romantic."</p><p>"Yasha…" he repeated, and shook his head in amusement. "I can't picture that."</p><p>"I helped her," Jester said. "Beau's gonna love it."</p><p>Caleb grinned. "Of course you did. And of course she will."</p><p>Jester sighed dramatically, crawling up the bed to flop onto the pillow beside Caleb. "I'm so happy for them," she said, sounding mildly tragic.</p><p>"But?" he prompted, looking down at her.</p><p>"There's no but!" she said miserably. "I'm just <i>happy</i> for them. And I don't know how to <i>do</i> that. How do you find romance, Caleb?" She turned and propped her chin on her hand, looking at him. "You've been in love. How did you do it?"</p><p>"I – " he stammered, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. "Jester, I am not – "</p><p>"You had a girlfriend, Caleb! I've never had that."</p><p>"I had…" he hedged. "Things were complicated, Jester. I have been involved with people, <i>ja</i>, but it was not…" he sighed. "It wasn't because of romance. It was because…we needed each other. And maybe that can be romantic, yes, or at least dramatic. But it wasn't…healthy. It wasn't something to aspire to. I don't know how to do it the – " he shrugged. "The right way, if there is a right way. I have no advice to offer you." He considered. "Veth, maybe, could tell you something useful. Her relationship with Yeza is not without its complications, but they love each other deeply. They support each other. That is a better example than anything I could tell you about."</p><p>"I bet you and Astrid loved each other," Jester objected. "And supported each other."</p><p>"We did," Caleb allowed. "Myself, and Astrid, and Eadwulf." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "But we were in a situation where we didn't know how to form anything that wasn't destructive." He sighed. "I can't help you with this, Jester. I know even less about romance than you do." He tried to bring some levity back into his voice. "At least you have your books."</p><p>"Oh, those are mostly smut," she said breezily. "The romance is pretty perfunctory. Anyway, you must have read as many of them as I have by now!"</p><p>A faint smile crossed his face. "I have read some," he allowed.</p><p>She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "For the smut?" she asked.</p><p>"For the entertainment," he said evenly. "I will read anything. You know this."</p><p>"Oooh," her face lit up. "If I look through the library in the tower, will there be smut books in there that I haven't read?"</p><p>He smiled. "You will just have to check," he said.</p><p>"I'm going to look at every book in there!"</p><p>"It will take you a very long time," he pointed out. "There are a lot of duplicates."</p><p>"I'm gonna find your porn, Caleb!"</p><p>"I left you two perfectly serviceable porn books in your room," he reminded her.</p><p>"Yeah, but I've read those ones. I want to know about the porn you've read that I haven't." She looked at him closely. "Is it kinky? I bet you're into some kinky shit."</p><p>He flushed. "Jester…" he protested weakly.</p><p>"You don't have to be embarrassed," she continued. "Everyone's into something." She sighed. "I don't know what I'm into yet," she lamented. "I mean, I know some of the things I like to read about, but maybe that's not the same thing as what I'd actually like. I haven't been able to try <i>anything</i> yet." Caleb made a noncommittal noise, hoping she'd move on to another topic, but she pressed on. "I've barely even kissed anyone. I mean, there was Fjord, and that was nice, but it was more about breathing than really kissing. I think I probably wouldn't kiss like that if I was doing it for real." Her brow furrowed. "I don't know <i>how</i> I'd kiss if I was doing it for real. I've imagined it, of course, but that's not the same as actually doing it."</p><p>"No," Caleb agreed, his voice feeling raw. "It's not." She looked up at him, and he caught the moment her eyes darted from his down to his lips. He swallowed, seeing the way her gaze intensified as his lips parted.</p><p>"Do you want to kiss me, Caleb?"</p><p>He knew how to lie. He had been trained for years to lie, with his words and his expressions and his body. He had not, it turned out, learned how to lie to Jester. "I…" he said uselessly. He squeezed his eyes shut. "Jester…" he breathed out, his voice a warning.</p><p>"Because if you don’t," she continued, "that's fine. Just because you like some girls doesn't mean you like all girls, and maybe I'm not your type. That'd be okay. But if you <i>do</i> want to kiss me…" Her voice got closer, and he could feel her shifting on the bed beside him, sitting up, leaning toward him. "I really want to kiss you, too, Caleb."</p><p>"No," he choked out, "you don't."</p><p>He heard the flash of sharpness in her voice before he finally dragged his eyes open to see it in her expression. "Don't tell me what I want."</p><p>"I am not…a good man, Jester."</p><p>"No," she said. "You're not, the way you define it. But I have a different definition. And it includes people who love their friends. Who go out of their way to protect them and give them things that they want and need, and things they didn’t even realize they wanted, but they really, really did. People who let their friends come and interrupt their quiet study time, and sleep in their beds, and who have maybe done some shitty things in their life, yeah, but are <i>trying</i>. Trying to make up for it, and to be better, and to make themselves something that they didn't think they were capable of being before." She looked at him seriously. "I've known some bad men, Caleb. You're not one of them."</p><p>She leaned in, and there was a moment where she paused just long enough that he could have turned away if he wanted to, could have leaned out of her space, broken the moment, and they would have laughed awkwardly and curled up separately for sleep, never speaking of it ever again.</p><p>He didn't want to. He <i>desperately</i> didn't want to.</p><p>Instead, he let her lips land warm and soft against his. He didn't lean into it, didn't take anything further than what she was offering, but his lips met hers gently, and when her tongue swept over his bottom lip, his mouth fell open for her eagerly.</p><p>It was all heat after that, heat and soft warmth, and the taste of her, the intoxicating drag of her tongue against his, the weight of her body settling onto his lap, her hands curling around his jaw, holding him steady to kiss him deeper. Her teeth nipped against his lip, drawing a gasp from him.</p><p>"Oh," she breathed out, and did it again, her teeth sinking in harder this time, and he couldn't help but let out a moan, feeling the sweet sting of pain spread through his whole body. "See," she said against his lips, letting out a giggle, "I knew you were into kinky stuff," and her tail wrapped around his wrist, pinning it to the bed.</p><p>He twisted his hand in her grip, brushing a thumb over the flat part of the tip of her tail. She gasped sharply into his mouth and kissed him with renewed energy, her tail gradually unwinding and thumping excitedly against the bedspread. He wanted to lift his hands, to hold her by the hips, brace her against him, but he held back from touching until she let her hands drift down his neck, his chest, closing around his arms and pulling his hands around her.</p><p>"Hold me?" she asked, and there was a desperate plaintiveness to her tone that stripped every ounce of restraint from him. His hands found her sides, slid up her back, and gathered her close to him as they kept kissing, breathless, endless.</p><p>"I – " she said finally, her lips full and dark when she pulled away from his. She shifted her hips against him, the pressure tantalizing against his stiffness. "If you want, we could – " and he could see color rising in her cheeks.</p><p>"I like this," he assured her. "We can, if you'd like to, but this is…" he lost his words, and drew her in for another kiss instead. "I could do this for the rest of my life," he said against her lips.</p><p>"Mm," she agreed, "me too." She tilted to the side, rolling them easily, burrowing down into the pillows and curling around him. He let his hands move freely across her body over her clothes, and she arched into every touch.</p><p>She ran her fingers along the strap of his holster. "Do you sleep with this on?"</p><p>"Usually, ja," he said. He gestured toward his coat, draped on a chair beside the bed. "The spellbook is there. It has gotten too big for me to keep on me."</p><p>"You've learned a lot," she said. She hooked a finger into the leather, and he expected her to ask him to take it off, but instead she just used her grip on it to tug him in for another kiss.</p><p>They curled there like that kissing and touching lazily for what may have felt like hours to anyone who couldn't tell precisely how much time had passed. Gradually, her kisses trailed down his neck, and she burrowed her face there. He curled his fingers into her hair, tracing the edges of her horns and feeling her shiver against him.</p><p>There was so much to think about, the ramifications and consequences of this, but as he felt her breathing start to go soft and even against his skin, he found that he couldn't hold on to any of them. They escaped his mind, chased away by the solid weight of the warm curl of her body against his.</p><p>He turned in her arms, pressing his back to her, and for the first time that he could remember since he was a child, he drifted effortlessly off to sleep.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Caduceus/Fjord, Caduceus in rut, rated E, aroace Caduceus, trans Fjord</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>originally posted 11/29/2020 to critical kink in response to this prompt: https://criticalkink.dreamwidth.org/3194.html?thread=1550970#cmt1550970</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Caduceus?" The door made a hollow thud under Fjord's knuckles as they rapped against it, and he could hear only silence on the other side. "You left dinner pretty quick, or I'd've told you I was going to do some meditating, if you wanted to join me."</p><p>"Fjord," he finally heard through the wood, sounding strained. "No, I don't think I'm up for it tonight. Thank you, though."</p><p>Fjord felt his brow wrinkle in concern. "Are you all right?"</p><p>"I'm…" Caduceus's voice moved closer, but the door didn't open. "I'm fine, Fjord. Just feeling a bit under the weather."</p><p>"I still have some healing, if you could use it. Or I could go find Jester – "</p><p>"No!" Caduceus's voice was suddenly sharp and near. "No. Please don't get Jester. Or anyone. I don't need anything, Fjord, thank you." There was a quiet thump on the other side of the door, as if Caduceus had leaned against it. "I just…need to be alone for a while."</p><p>Fjord lifted a hand to touch the door, imagining Caduceus bracing himself heavily on the other side. He caught another hint of the scent that had been clinging to Caduceus for the past few days, unfamiliar but sharp, and suddenly he realized what it had been reminding him of. He felt his eyes go wide, his face heat up as he breathed in again, matching the strange new sensation with his own experiences, and – "Oh," he said aloud, drawing his hand back from the door. "No, that's – Caduceus, that's the opposite of what you need."</p><p>There was a painful choked laugh from the other side of the door. "Ah. There it is. Yeah, I suspected if anyone here would be familiar with…this," there was an unmistakable distaste to his tone on the word, "it'd be you."</p><p>"I…" Fjord could feel himself flushing darker. "It's not a regular thing, for…well, for guys like me. But yeah, I've…I'm familiar."</p><p>"So, you understand, then," Caduceus said. "Why I need to be alone. I hope your meditation is restful.  I'll see you in the morning."</p><p>There was a finality to the words, but Fjord didn't move away from the door. "You don't, though," he said quietly. The idea was only half formed in his mind as he said the words, but it gained strength as he spoke them. "Have to be alone, I mean. I could help you."</p><p>There was a muffled sound from Caduceus, maybe a groan. "Fjord…"</p><p>"No, but think about it, Caduceus," he pushed. "I don't really know how firbolgs…uh, work, but I know for us, this goes a lot easier and quicker if you have someone to go through it with."</p><p>"I wouldn't ask that of you, Fjord. I wouldn't ask it of anyone."</p><p>"You're not," Fjord said. "<i>I'm</i> asking <i>you</i>. Look, we're not exactly in a situation where we can afford for anyone not to be at 100% right now. If I can spend a night in there with you and have you back in fighting shape tomorrow, that's an easy call to make." Caduceus was silent in response. "I'm not looking to make you uncomfortable," Fjord continued. "I know it's all not really…your thing. But…just know that I wouldn't see it as any kind of hardship to have you…" he flushed. "Well, to have you do what you like with me for a night." There was no response to that either. He sighed. "Okay," he agreed. He patted the door, heavily enough for Caduceus to hear it. "You don't have to take me up on it if you don't want. The offer's there. You know where to find me."</p><p>He stepped into the middle of the room, and had just opened his mouth to say <i>"Up!"</i> when Caduceus's door creaked open in invitation.</p><p>Fjord stepped forward slowly, hesitantly, and when he entered the room, he found Caduceus casting a constantly moving shadow across the floor as he paced in front of the fireplace. The fire was the only source of light as Fjord leaned back against the door to close it behind him, and Caduceus looked wild in the darkness, eyes too bright, hair and fur rumpled, a robe hanging disheveled from his limbs.</p><p>His eyes darted up to meet Fjord's, wide and firelit. "I don't want to hurt you," he said. His voice was rougher than usual, and now that he was inside the room, Fjord felt almost overwhelmed by the sharpness of the scent coming off him that he had barely been able to detect through the door.</p><p>"You can't," Fjord told him.</p><p>Caduceus's steps slowed, and he leaned heavily against the arm of the couch, looking at Fjord steadily. "I could," he said flatly.</p><p>Fjord shrugged. "And you could heal me, too. I'm not worried about it."</p><p>Caduceus's brow furrowed as he scrutinized Fjord. "Why do you want to do this?"</p><p>"Because I know what it's like, and it isn't pleasant. I want to help you through it, if I can. And if I can't, then at least…" Fjord returned his steady gaze. "I want to let you know you're not alone. You've done that for me more times than I can count. Must be about my turn by now."</p><p>Caduceus looked a little less troubled, but his voice was still hesitant as he said, "There are things that I can't offer you. I don't suspect you have the wrong idea about this, but I need to say it, in case you do. These are urges the Wildmother has given me, and I'll honor her by caring for them the same way that I would feed myself, or clean myself. But this isn't something that I am going to want, from you or anyone else, at other times."</p><p>Fjord nodded. "I gathered that, yeah."</p><p>"And…" The light was low enough that Fjord couldn't be sure, but it seemed that Caduceus's cheeks flushed slightly under the thin fur of his face. "Beyond the physical, I…" He swallowed. "It's not – "</p><p>"Caduceus." Fjord stepped forward, closing the space between them and taking Caduceus's hands. They trembled in his own. "If what you're saying here is that this isn't going to change anything? That you're going to keep being by my side in battle, and on every step of this bizarre journey that we're taking, and we're going to keep not having sex with each other, and not being in love with each other, and just be…whatever it is that we've been being?" Caduceus raised his chin in a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. "Then good. That's exactly what I want."</p><p>Caduceus's body sagged a little with relief, his fingers tightening convulsively on Fjord's. "Okay," he said faintly. "Okay. Good." He looked down at their hands. His whole body was strung tight with tension, and the tightness of his grip made Fjord suspect that the single point of contact was the only thing keeping Caduceus grounded.</p><p>"You can touch me," he said quietly, and he twisted his hands from Caduceus's grip, taking him by the wrists instead and guiding them to his body.</p><p>Caduceus's eyes flashed up to his, and Fjord barely felt the movement before his back was impacting solidly with the wall behind him, Caduceus's hands wide and hot against his skin through his shirt, his body curved over to bury his face in Fjord's neck, pressing messy kisses there, his body heaving with gasping breaths. Fjord let his own hands travel up Caduceus's back, dragging him closer, and could feel more than hear the low almost growling sound that rattled in Caduceus's throat as his hips rolled forward, the hardness under his robe thick and unmistakable against Fjord's hip.</p><p>Their heights were awkward for the position, but Caduceus seemed to be getting some relief just from letting his body press against Fjord's, so Fjord reached for the tie of his robe, letting it puddle at their feet and spreading his hands over as much of Caduceus's overheated skin as he could reach. It was soft and faintly fuzzy under his touch as he ran his hands over his back, his sides, the curve of his ass, pulling him close and feeling Caduceus let out whimpery sobbing breaths against his neck.</p><p>"I want – " Caduceus gasped out, and Fjord nodded.</p><p>"Whatever you like," he promised. Caduceus made a helpless noise, his fingers clawing into Fjord's shirt and tugging uselessly at it. Fjord let out a low laugh. "Yeah," he agreed, "but you're going to have to…" he reached up a hand, touching two of his fingers to Caduceus's soft cheek. Caduceus let out a low possessive sound, his kisses against Fjord's skin going sharp with teeth, and Fjord felt his body respond, a harsh gasp escaping his lips, arousal flooding through him. "Yeah," he said, "yeah, okay, you can have more of that. But if you want my clothes off – " and he tangled his fingers into Caduceus's hair, tugging it lightly at first, then harder, finally dragging his face away from Fjord's neck. Caduceus leaned into the touch, looking dazed. "That's better," Fjord said, and reached down with his other hand to drag the shirt off. Caduceus's hands met his, helping, shoving Fjord's clothes off him, and when their bodies met again, they were bare, Caduceus's cock dragging slickly over Fjord's skin.</p><p>This time, Caduceus's mouth found his own instead of his neck, and Fjord met his kisses eagerly, careful of his tusks at first, but losing all sense of caution the first time that Caduceus's lips caught against one and he let out a delicious moan into Fjord's mouth. Fjord let himself get a little lost in the sensations for a while after that, the heat of Caduceus's body wrapped around his, the slick drag of their mouths against each other, until Caduceus's hips were stuttering against him, making these tiny desperate thrusts that dragged helpless whimpers from him.</p><p>"Hey." Fjord settled a hand against Caduceus's hip, trying to steady him. "How do you want this? You can keep doing that, if that'll be enough, but – "</p><p>"I – " Caduceus interrupted him, sounding miserable, "I don't know." He gathered Fjord closer to him. "It's not enough. It feels like nothing's going to be enough."</p><p>"Okay." He brushed his thumb soothingly across Caduceus's skin. "Okay," he repeated. It felt incredible, Caduceus's body pressed against his, holding him to the wall, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his legs around him, sink down onto his cock, and let Caduceus take him right there. But for all his height, Fjord wasn't sure that Caduceus would be strong enough, and was almost positive they wouldn't be coordinated enough, so instead he got a hand between them, settling onto Caduceus's chest, his fingers curling into the pale fur there as he pushed gently, maneuvering Caduceus back just far enough to move off the wall.</p><p>Caduceus let out a quiet noise of disappointment, so Fjord leaned into his space to kiss him heavily, dropping a hand to tangle their fingers together and start to tug him toward the inner door of the room. "Come on," he said, "the rest of this will go better in a bed."</p><p>Instead of following, Caduceus wrapped around him from behind, gathering Fjord to him, kissing his shoulder and rubbing his cock along the curve of his ass, the small of his back. Fjord groaned, letting himself melt into the touch, rolling his hips and enjoying the feeling of Caduceus rutting against him until he couldn't stand it anymore, until he felt nearly as wild with desire as Caduceus was.</p><p>He broke away and all but dragged Caduceus through the greenhouse room and through the door of the bedroom. They were barely inside before Caduceus's hands were on him again, and he found himself rethinking his estimation of Caduceus's strength as Caduceus practically tossed him onto the bed, kneeling down over him, panting.</p><p>He paused there, looking faintly embarrassed. "I'm not sure…" He raked his eyes down Fjord's body. "I haven't…"</p><p>"'s'okay," Fjord told him. He reached to tangle his fingers into Caduceus's hair, enjoying the way his eyes dropped shut, his body responding, one of his arms wrapping around Fjord's back to gather him closer. "Just tell me if I do anything you don't like. For now…" He arched his hips up, finally getting some friction against the slickness that had been gathering between his legs as he rubbed himself up along Caduceus's cock, and they both groaned helplessly.</p><p>He reached down, taking Caduceus in hand, and he saw wonder fill Caduceus's face as he carefully pressed the head of his cock to himself. It was huge, both thick and long, but his body <i>wanted</i> it, and the hot drag of it sliding inside was overwhelming in the best way. Caduceus let out a broken sound, his hips stuttering forward just enough to make Fjord gasp sharply before he seemed to expend all of his effort to keep himself still, his whole body trembling against Fjord.</p><p>"Fjord," he breathed out as Fjord twisted his hips to take him in agonizingly slowly. "You feel…I've never – " his words collapsed on themselves as one of Fjord's hands found his hip and <i>pulled</i>, sinking him deeper inside of him. He cried out, loud and uninhibited.</p><p>"Again," Fjord urged him, getting both of his hands settled onto Caduceus's hips and guiding him so carefully into a rhythm. It only took a few strokes before Caduceus's body was taking over, his arms pulling Fjord to him, his breath panting out hot and desperate over Fjord's collarbone as he buried his face in the crook of his neck.</p><p>"I need – " he gasped out, and Fjord nodded, reaching one of his hands from Caduceus's hip to tangle into his hair, pulling at it roughly.</p><p>"Yeah," Fjord responded. "Take it. Whatever you need."</p><p>Caduceus whimpered, and was <i>gone</i>, his hips rocking into Fjord in an unsteady helpless rhythm. Caduceus's hands on him were tight, rougher than Fjord could have imagined they would be, probably leaving marks against his skin, and the force of his thrusts rocked Fjord back into the bed, shaking it beneath them. He chased his pleasure ruthlessly, seeming to almost forget that Fjord was there at all, and the feeling of Caduceus using him like that was arousing enough that Fjord didn't even need to get a hand between them to touch himself. The friction of Caduceus's body against his combined with the intense stretch to drive him to the edge and right over it, leaving him shaking and coming around Caduceus.</p><p>Caduceus cried out when he came, his body locking up around Fjord's, his hips jerking forward in a desperate driving rhythm until they stuttered and Fjord felt the rush of wet heat inside of him. Caduceus melted, all the tension draining out of his body as it folded down onto Fjord, and Fjord held him close, his hands rubbing wide circles into the soft fuzz of his back as Caduceus's breath slowly came back to him.</p><p>"Mmm," Caduceus hummed against Fjord's skin. "That was nice."</p><p>Fjord breathed out a laugh at the understatement. "Nice," he repeated. "Yeah. Sure was."</p><p>Caduceus propped his chin on Fjord's chest, looking up at him with a furrow starting to appear in his brow. "Was it okay?" he asked earnestly.</p><p>Fjord reached up to touch the line with his thumb, smoothing it away. "It was incredible," he promised. Caduceus was still in him, still hard, and he could feel his body responding to the sensation, the muscles fluttering weakly around Caduceus's cock. Caduceus drew in a sharp breath, his hips jerking involuntarily.</p><p>"Sorry," Caduceus said automatically, starting to withdraw, but Fjord grabbed him by the hip, letting his claws sink into the skin a little and holding him steady.</p><p>"Don't you go anywhere," he said. "Not on my account." He tightened around Caduceus and felt a shudder run through his body. "You're staying here for as long as you need. As many times as you want me."</p><p>Caduceus groaned, rolling his hips forward. He didn't quite start fucking him again just yet. Instead, he gathered Fjord into his arms, holding him close, and he rolled his hips into him in slow gentle waves. It was so similar to so many nights they'd spent on the road, waking in the dome in each other's arms, except for the gradual building of pleasure between them, this new and intoxicating intimacy. He could feel his body already responding to the thought of letting Caduceus take his pleasure from him again, and again, and again.</p><p>Fjord let his head fall back against the mattress, Caduceus's body rocking over him as relentless as the rolling of the sea.   He closed his eyes, and for just a moment, he let himself feel nothing but Caduceus, as steady and comforting and wild as the tides.</p>
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